egg-sucking bitch 'fore she's done. You just let a good,
ordinary. God-fearing girl marry into them Sullinses, and in
five years shell be just like 'em. I've seen it happen too
often. Look at Ben Sullins's wife. Come of good honest
folks and looked human. But you let a woman get married
with a Sullins and in five years you can't tell 'em apart. The
woman gets that sharp, grey look, like a she-rat with lard
on her whiskers. That's a way to tell a Sullins, male or
female. Except when the wind's right, and then you don't

have to look-----"

" Now, now, Bill," Captain Todd said, " not bad as all that."
" You don't know. You never made a study of Sullinses,
like me. Years now, and I lay up in the bed some nights
just studying about Sullinses. Somebody told me one time
about a Sullins I never heard of. Lived down in Tennessee
in Cheatham County, and I just took me a trip down to look
at him. I just wanted to be sure he was like all the rest, and
he was. I didn't see him, but it didn't turn out to be
necessary. I saw his woman. I went up- to the house where
they lived and I said as polite as I could, Til be mighty
grateful, mam, to have a drink of water.' I'd rented me a
rig just to ride out to their place, and I said, Tm just
travelling through, and it's a right warm day." She got me
the water all right. Not fresh, though, and a well right
there in the side yard in plain sight. And when I got me
a second dipperful, she got that Sullins look on and said,
*You know, they say it promises a drouth in this section,
and our well never goes so good in a drouth.' So I just
poured what was left in the dipper back in the bucket, and
said, ' Madam, I believe your name must be Sullins.' And
site said it was, and asked me how I knew, did I read it on the
mailbox? And I said no, it hadn't been necessary somehow,
and of course it was none of my business, but was she and
fear husband professing Christians? She said yes, professing
Christians and Baptists. And I said I was glad to hear it,
and did she know Saint Matthew, 10:42. And she said no,
she didn't know offhand. So I just said it to her: ' Whoever